The Night That Changed Their Lives
by AussieAuthor2012
Summary: Ben and Kate spend a night of passion together and the consequences are life changing. Warning: Suggested Themes - R
1. The Beginning

This is my first fanfic so please, please be kind!

**The Night That Changed Their Lives!**

Summary: Ben and Kate spend a night of passion together and the consequences are life changing.

**Chapter One: The Beginning:**

Kate was sitting at her desk, face planted firmly in the palms of her hand trying to collect her emotions from an undeniably very stressful day. The current case she was trying to mediate was hitting close to home and she could almost swear someone was reading a book that detailed her married life with Justin. Kate desperately tried to separate herself from the case but during the last meeting when Jake made the same argument about his infidelities as Justin did, she snapped and made an emotionally compromising outburst that shocked everyone in the room.

The meeting had finished several hours ago and the offices of Reed & Reed were now dark. Taking two deep breaths, Kate lifted her face from her hands and sat back in her chair feeling the uncomfortable tightness in her back that was caused by sitting in a very un-ergonomic position. Kate hissed in pain and reclined as far back as she could in an effort to stretch out the sore muscles.

Unknown to Kate, she was not alone in the office and was being watched very intensively by a certain male co-worker. Ben couldn't think how long he'd been leaning against the doorframe of her office just watching her and he honestly wouldn't care if it had been 5 minutes or 5 hours.

Now stretched fully back, Ben was able to get a better view of this beautiful woman. His eyes travelled from her slightly parted lips to her slender neck and then down to her chest which was being pushed out. Ben turned his gaze away fearing she may catch him looking and think of him as some sick perv that she would undoubtedly bring up every chance she got. Instead, he produced a cough to steal her attention.

Kate jumped at the sound and rolled her eyes when she saw Ben standing there looking smug. "I didn't mean to scare you" he confessed looking away again.

"You didn't scare me" she replied hastily trying to stand from her seat. The pain in her back muscles increased and she gasped in more pain. Kate looked around and concluded from the darkness of the surrounding offices and the night like atmosphere around, that she had been sitting there for many, many hours and had stuffed her back completely.

Ben didn't miss the gasp and rushed to her side to lend a hand to support her. She gratefully accepted his offer and placed a hand on his shoulder and used it to leverage herself into the correct standing position.

"Sorry" she said heaving herself against him pulling their bodies into an almost tight hug.

"Don't be sorry" Ben said quietly against her cheek. Kate who was now completely flush against him was able to feel the contours of his body and he couldn't help but close his eyes and breathe in the scent of her hair and perfume. "I could help you stretch those muscles" he said impulsively before thinking.

"Normally… I wouldn't accept but… I am feeling very stiff and could use a hand" she admitted gesturing with her body towards the couch.

Ben mentally groaned and though 'Me too'.

Taking her hint, he began manoeuvring both their bodies to the couch trying as hard as he could to limit the amount of contact they had with their hips.

Ben looked at the couch and tried to figure out how to get them both in a position to help relax Kate's muscles. "How about if I sit behind you and you sit on the edge? That way I can massage your muscles and still be comfortable" he suggested.

Kate smiled and poked his chest "I see you're still thinking about your own comfort first"

"Always" he answered letting go of her body and moving to sit on the couch. Kate turned slowly and began to lower herself to sit in front of him. The stress on her back was painfully intense and finally she just let her leg muscles go and allowed gravity to bring her.

Unfortunately for Ben, she landed smack bang on his own stiff muscle causing him to squeak. This was a very embarrassing moment for him and on instinct he was quick to respond, jumping back into the cushions on the couch and pushing Kate forward. She didn't say anything but he knew that she had felt him from the gasp she made upon contact.

Ben grabbed a pillow and rested it over his crotch trying to shield her from more contact with the now painfully throbbing member. The situation became awkward and it didn't help that he was frozen and didn't know what to do or say. His mouth just hung open while he waited for something to happen.

"Well? Are you going to help me or not?" Kate said pushing herself back against him feeling the pillow cushion between their bodies.

"O…Of course!" he replied quickly putting his hands on either side of neck and using his thumb to work the shoulder and high back muscles.

An involuntary moan escaped Kate's lips and she rolled her head forward giving him more access to the back of her neck.

Ben smiled and adjusted his own body to fit more naturally with hers. "You like that?" he asked moving his left hand to her side.

"It's good" she moaned out before realizing what she was saying. Kate tried saving her comment by almost immediately saying, "I'm not surprised… you would have plenty of experience with many woman". Although she knew that to be a false statement, it didn't make her feel better. In fact, it made her feel worse. The thought of Ben with another woman made her feel anger, sadness and jealousy all at once.

Ben laughed and began rubbing his right hand up and down her spine "Contrary to your strong belief, I'm not a player, slut or man whore".

"Are you trying to convince me that you have never been with a woman and had one or two on the side?" Kate said in a sarcastic tone.

Ben pulled his hands away from her body and looked away. He returned one hand to her right shoulder and the other to her left hip before responding in frustration "Just because I've not been in a real committed relationship doesn't make me some sex crazed animal"

Kate was surprised by his answer. Ben had never been that honest about his personal life before and she was feeling guilty for rushing to judgement. "Look Ben, I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry about it" he said softly cutting her off and resuming the massage

She felt awful for insinuating that he would be an unfaithful partner. She looked down before sighing, "Ben… stop".

Ben removed his hands and put them by his side and remained silent. Kate took this opportunity to lie back against his chest and rest her head on his shoulder. Kate turned her face and whispered "I didn't mean it like that… You know what I said was in jest"

Ben felt chills from her breath running along his neck and turned to face her. His eyes looked directly into hers, "How do you see me?" he asked

Kate was a little confused by his questions and replied slowly "Attractive?"

He smiled and winked at her "That isn't what I meant. I was asking whether or not you saw me as the kind of guy that you could settle down with, start a family… grow old with?"

Blown away by the question, Kate moved her hand up to cup his right cheek. "You mean us?" she asked more nervous than she's ever been in the past.

'YES, YES, YES!' Ben thought privately. He wished he could be honest and tell her how he feels. Tell her that when she's near his heart beats twice as fast. Tell her that she is always on his mind. Sadly all he could muster up was "No… I mean in general. Do you think I'm that kind of guy?"

Getting closer to his face she asked, "Honestly?"

Ben dropped his head so that his nose was point to point with hers, "honestly"

"I think that you would make an excellent husband someday. Any woman would be lucky to get you… and your magic hands" Kate said reaching over and grabbing his hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

Ben smiled and squeezed her hand back "Kate, there's something I want to tell you…" he paused "I…"

Just as Ben was about to confess his feelings, Lauren just happened to walk into to the office after noticing the light was still on "Kate? Ben? Everything OK in here?"

Kate quickly jumped up from her comfy seat and brushed herself off. "Ben was just helping me out with some stiff back muscles"

Lauren raised an eyebrow and turned her attention to Ben.

Ben looked from side to side before pointing over at Kate and saying "What she said"

Lauren rolled her eyes and turned to Kate, "We have an important settlement meeting tomorrow with a big client. Make sure you're not late". Kate simply nodded and Lauren left the two alone.

Kate blushed and looked at Ben still motionless on the couch. "I guess I should be getting out of here"

"Me too" Ben said getting up from the couch and walking past her.

Kate wanted so bad to just climb back on Ben and cuddle some more. Being with him on that couch was so comfortable and natural. Kate saw him collect his briefcase from his desk and walk out into reception area. "Good Night" she called out to him.

Ben stopped and looked back and replied "It already is" before continuing his way to the elevator.

TBC

**Author Note: That concludes chapter one! Time to think of Chapter two!**


	2. That Night

This is my first fanfic so please, please be kind!

**The Night That Changed Their Lives!**

Summary: Ben and Kate spend a night of passion together and the consequences are life changing.

**Chapter Two: That Night**

The trip home for Kate was filled with much confusion. Her mind raced thinking about the conversation she'd had with Ben only minutes ago. 'Was he trying to tell me something?' she asked herself. Kate shook her head 'I think I'm going mad' she thought looking out the taxi window at the passing street lights.

Kate was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the taxi had pulled up at Lauren's house. "Excuse me Miss? Is this the right place you want to be?". Kate looked at the taxi driver and didn't say anything. "Are you ok?" He asked slightly concerned with her blank expression.

Kate gave a nervous laugh and said "Yes, I'm fine!"

"Well... is this your stop?" he asked again wondering why she wasn't getting out of the car.

She looked out the window at the house and the thought of getting out of the car and not finding out what Ben was going to say would have driven her to the brink of insanity. "No! Please take me to Sea Cliff Ave"

The driver nodded and pulled the taxi from the curb and sped off down the street.

Meanwhile, Ben had just arrived home and was sliding the key into the lock barrel of his front door. 'I should have just told her!' he mentally scolded himself for being such a coward. Unable to turn the lock he slid the key out of the lock and turned back and headed towards his car in the driveway. 'What am I think? She's staying at Laurens! What am I supposed to do when I get there? Say "Hi Lauren, I'm here to make love to Kate"'. He shook his head and walked back up the stairs and unlocked the door.

He dumped his briefcase by the door and kicked off his Italian leather shoes. As he walked through the house he removed an article of clothing and discarded in carelessly where it landed. Eventually he was laying on the couch in only his black boxer briefs watching the news on CNN.

With nothing really interesting to watch, Ben grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. He switched the lamps and lights off and just as he was about to head up the stairs to his bedroom there was a ring at the doorbell. "Who the…" he said walking around the corner to the entry hallway. Ben peaked through the window to see Kate standing there. He quickly unlocked the door and asked "What are you doing here Kate?"

Taken slightly back by his near nude body presenting itself for her view she stuttered a response "I…I… I need to know what you were going to say… What were you going to say in my office?". The whole time she asked the question her eyes scanned his body. From his face down his smooth pecs, over his hard abs and much, much lower.

He enjoyed watching her squirm like this. What he didn't enjoy was seeing her lips a tinged of purple and her hands shaking in the cold. "Come in, it's freezing out there!" he said knowing only too well the sea air can cause the outside temperature to drop rapidly.

Kate blushed and accepted his invitation to enter his home. She waited and Ben led her through the property to the lounge room. "Hold on a second, I'll just light the fire so that it's a little warmer in here" he said pressing the auto ignition button on the mantle.

The fire began to roar and the warm glow filled the room. The flicker of light sprawled over Ben's body and Kate's face began to sting red with a blush. "So? What were you going to say earlier Ben?" she asked nervously.

"This could have waited till tomorrow" he said trying to dodge the question.

Kate not stupid gets up and walks over and grabs his hand forcing Ben to look directly at her "No! I need to know now".

Ben turned and pulled Kate into a loving embrace planting a long hard kiss on her mouth. At first she resisted but after a few moments she relaxed and allowed herself to be consumed by the burning passion within her. Although she was enjoying every moment of the kiss, a part of her told her that she couldn't do this and that she needed to be smart about this and not rush things. Kate pulled away "We can't do this Ben. It's not right".

Ben was shocked by her reaction. Feeling rejected, he turned away from her and face the fire "I…I… I'm sorry."

Kate put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back to her. "Don't be sorry. I enjoyed it very much" she said burying her face in his neck.

Ben closed his eyes and rested his head against hers. 'Now the time' he thought before whispering "I love you Kate".

He didn't want to open his eyes fearing rejection but could feel her shaking in his arms. 'She's crying' he thought pulling away and lifting her chin to look at him. "What's wrong?" he asked her lovingly.

Kate lifted a hand and wiped away the tears and choked out, "I want to love you but I don't know if I can".

"What do you mean 'if you can'?" he asked angrily pulling away from her grasp and taking a few steps back. The thought of rejection sprung to mind and he started to get mad.

Kate took a step closer to Ben and looked him directly in the eye "I mean… could a relationship between us last? We fight, disagree and have nothing in common. I know they say 'opposites attract' but, how long would we last? One month? Two? I need a man that is in it for the long haul"

Ben huffed and angry sign and got really close to Kate "Oh and that's not what I want? Let me tell you something Kate… Actually, you know what? It doesn't matter. You're right, we could never work out. We should nip it in the butt right now and just pretend that none of this ever happened". Ben moved away from Kate and opened the bottle of scotch and took a swig from the bottle. "I think you should leave now" he said not wanting to look at her.

Kate tried to get Ben to turn around and talk to her but he would refuse to face her. "Ben? Talk to me please" she pleaded. Not getting a response frustrated Kate so she sat down on the lounge and said "I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me".

Ben scoffed and said "Kate! I don't want to talk to you! The reason I've never been in a long term relationship is because I'm a Lawyer that works 50 hours a week to be honest… I just don't have time to meet someone, get to know them and form a relationship… you made me want a relationship Kate… it was you. Now, if you don't mind I'm going to bed".

Ben wouldn't look back at Kate and he left the room heading up the stairs walking straight into his bedroom. He listed out and heard the sound of the front door opening and closing again. "Well I guess that it then" he said aloud reaching out and pulling back the covers on the bed and sliding in. He leant over and switched over the bedside lamp and lay back on the bed.

Kate had thought about leaving but decided against it. 'Where am I going to get a cab at this hour?' she thought entering the lounge room and slipping up the stairs to find Ben. Unfortunately for Kate, Ben owned a pretty big house and it took a while to find his bedroom. When she did find his bedroom she could see him lying on his back, hands behind his head staring up at the ceiling. Kate watched Ben for a few minutes before slipping of her shoes, running and jumping onto the other side of the bed.

Ben was startled by this unknown attacker and fumbled around in the sheets before tumbling on to the floor. "What the f… KATE? What they hell do you think you're doing? You scared the shit out of me!" he yelled huffing and puffing.

Kate couldn't help by laugh loudly at Ben's reaction. 'That was better than I thought' she thought lying down on the bed. She continued watching him brush himself off and pick the sheets off the floor. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" she joked with a smug smile plastered on her face.

Ben threw the sheets on the bed and sighed in frustration "What do you want from me Kate?"

Ben was definitely in no mood to play these games 'One minute she doesn't want me and the next she's in my bed' he thought shaking his head.

Kate grabbed the dumped sheets and fixed them on the bed and slid under the covers. "I want you to get into this bed" she said pulling back the blankets on his side of the bed.

Ben looked at her and raised an eyebrow "What are you up too?"

Kate laughed and snuggled into the pillows and said "Settle down buddy… We are not having sex. Just get in the bed, I need sleep"

Ben didn't know why he agreed to get into the bed but he did. "Are you going to take those clothes off?"

Kate coughed in surprised shock "What did I just say? No sex". She rolled over to face the other direction thinking 'Nice try buddy'.

He laughed loudly at her comment. "No idiot… You're still in your work clothes. Don't you think you'd be more comfortable out of all that?" he said tugging on her frilly cuff

Kate lifted the blankets and looked at her attire and narrowed her eyes and Ben. "You got a shirt you can lend me?" she asked poking him in the chest

"Just a shirt?" he asked raising his brow again. Kate nodded so he moved out of the bed and walked into his walk in robe pulling out a shirt that read "Sexy & I Know It" on the front. 'Perfect' Ben though returning to the bedroom where he found a naked Kate under his sheets with a hand extended to accept the shirt. He tossed it to her with his mouth hanging open. Although he couldn't see anything, it was the thought of Kate naked in his bed that made his mind race.

Kate slipped on the shirt and Ben climbed back into the bed. "Thanks" she said kindly placing a hand on his chest. Ben covered her hand with his and replied "No problem". Kate pulled away and faced the other way closing her eyes. "I never thanked you for the massage. I will return the favour one day"

'Being next to you is payment enough' he thought looking back up at the ceiling. Kate closed her eyes and drifted to sleep only moments later. Ben listened closely to her breathing pattern and it became so soothing he drifted to sleep shortly after her.

*2 Hours Later*

Ben was woken by a police car speeding by his house. He tried to sit up but found he was being held down by a sleeping Kate. She had switched positions to be laying half on him with her head on his chest and arm draped across his waist. 'Wow' was all he could think relaxing back into a comfortable position. He kissed the top of her head and brought the arm she was laying over around her to pull her closer to him.

**TBC**


	3. The Next Morning

**Thanks for the reviews!**

Sorry this took so long to complete, I have rewritten this chapter 5 times and then changed the storyline completely.

Just as a side note – I just watched episode 9 of this season and Kate standing Ben up was so… I don't even know the word that would best describe it! I was so mad after seeing that I wanted to be able to rewind and rewrite the ep so that it didn't happen! Anyhoo, enough with my rants…

**Note: After reading a few other fanfics, I realized I needed to make the content more descriptive. PLEASE let me know what you think.  
**

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**The Night That Changed Their Lives!  
****  
Summary: Ben and Kate spend a night of passion together and the consequences are life changing.**

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**Chapter Three: Next Morning  
**

The bright morning sunlight streaming through the bedroom windows was starting to wake Ben from his peaceful slumber. He squeezed his eyes further shut trying to block out the light so that he may at least get a few more minutes of rest before getting up to get ready for work.

His longing for more sleep was rudely interrupted by the sudden feeling of shuffling under the sheets and this caused Ben to snap his eyes open looking for an explanation. When he saw Kate nestled comfortably half over him, the memories of the night before came flooding back. He smiled and lifted his free hand to brush a few loose strands of hair that were offensively obstructing his view of her flawless face. Once the hair was out of the way, Ben lowered his chin and brought his lips to her right side temple and placed a soft kiss.

The kiss was soft but enough to stir Kate from her sleep. She yawned dragging her hand from his hip, up over his stomach and finally coming to a rest over his left nipple. She slowly opened her eyes and said "Mmm… good morning". Still needing a little time for her eyes to adjust to the morning light, Kate closed her eyes and listed to the sound of his heart beating beneath is tanned skin.

The feeling of her intimate touch sent a pleasurable sensation throughout his body resulting in goose bumps and other "things" to rise. He couldn't miss up the opportunity and kissed her a second time asking "How did you sleep?"

Kate half opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. She smiled and replied "It was the best sleep I've had in a very long time" before returning to rest her cheek on his chest.

Looking around the room from her position, her eyes caught sight of the alarm clock on the bedside table that read "9:02am" and she gasped. "Is that the right time?" she asked not budging an inch.

Ben pushed the pillow down and looked at the LCD display before confirming "Yeah, that's right".

Kate quickly rolled off him onto the other side of the bed ripping all the sheets with her. She untangled herself and shouted "Oh my god, I'm late!" before collecting her clothes from the floor and rushing into the bedroom ensuite.

Ben laughed loudly and shouted "That's exactly what a guy wants to hear after he spends the night with a woman!" while putting his hands behind his head.

The bathroom door clicked and opened with a slightly amused Kate poking her head out and giving Ben a funny look. "Not funny!" she said sticking her tongue out before going back into the bathroom and slipping yesterday's clothes back on. Kate looked in the vanity mirror and sighed thinking 'This will have to do' realizing there was no time to go to Lauren's place and get changed before she needed to be in Judge Nicastro's courtroom. Happy with what she's accomplished, Kate turned around and opened the door walking back into Ben's bedroom.

Ben watched in amusement from the bed as she moved around the room collecting pieces of discarded jewellery from the floor. After being sure she'd collected everything, she stepped into her heels by the door and picked up her handbag. Kate looked back at Ben before quickly running back and giving him a soft peck on the cheek and whispered "Gotta go" before hoping off the bed and running out the door.

Ben stretched his arms and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He stood up and followed after her not exactly sure she knew how to get where she was going without any transportation. While coming down the stairs, Ben heard the sound of his front door clicking shut and quickened his pace to catch up with her. He opened the front door and saw her standing on the curb looking for a taxi. Ben smiled a shouted "You won't find a taxi around here!" and as if by will of god, a taxi drove around the bend and Kate held up her hand to call it over.

Kate looked back at Ben and laughed out "Looks like I found one!"

Ben smiled and watched from his front step as the Taxi pulled away from the curb and drove off down the street. As his eyes followed the car, his gaze came into contact with one of his neighbors walking their pet poodle. She was staring and Ben furrowed his eye brows in confusion. It was only with a cool gust wind that he remembered that he was only in his boxers.

Being his confident self, he waved at the neighbor before returning inside to shower and change.

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Now in the backseat of the taxi on her way to the Court House, Kate began searching her bag vigorously in an attempt to locate her missing iPhone. "Where are you?" she asked aloud pushing aside bits and pieces digging right to the bottom.

The taxi drivers cough brought her attention up and she noticed he was watching her suspiciously in the rear view mirror. Letting it go without explanation, she returned to the search and wished she had a headlamp to help navigate the unholy depths of her handbags.

Sighing in frustration, Kate looked out the window and became familiar with the passing buildings knowing full well that she was almost at her destination.

The memories of last night began flooding her mind and she blushed thinking how close they had come to letting themselves become swept away in the passion and romance of their forbidden love. 'What was I thinking getting into that bed?' she mentally questioned herself wondering how far she would have taken things if it had gone down that road. Although Kate didn't want to admit it, she kind of felt idiotic not seizing the opportunity and allowing herself the pleasure of being with Ben.

Kate was jolted from her daydreams by the taxi's breaks slamming the car to a full stop. Slightly disoriented, Kate reached into her bag and pulled out some notes and handed them to the driver. "Thanks" she said sliding across the backseat of the car and opening the door.

Taking a few deep breaths, Kate began running up the Court House steps and weaved in and out of the crowd trying to get inside as fast as possible. She was brought to a sudden stop when she needed to go through the security check station and was forced to wait in a very slow moving line. Once at the desk, Kate opened her bag for inspection and stepped through the metal detector with no issues.

Now in the clear to proceed, Kate ran through the corridors quickly almost knocking down several clerks and some innocent bystanders before arriving at the large wooden door for the Court Room. Kate stopped for a moment and straightened her clothes before bursting in and shouting" I'm here! I'm here! Don't send me to jail"

"Miss Reed, you seem to take pleasure in make me wait" Judge Nicastro boomed from his judges bench not impressed by her tardiness.

Kate clasped her hands together, laughed nervously and said "If you let me explain, I-" before being cut off by the pounding of the gavel.

"I don't care Miss Reed! The only reason you are here today is so that I can order you to mediate a dispute between these two parties. Their problem is trivial and I don't want it in my courtroom!" The judge said in a frustrated tone.

Kate was always intimidated by Judge Nicastro because on some small level, he reminded her so much of her father. "I understand your honor" she said respectfully

"The only thing you need to understand Miss Reed is that if this isn't resolved by 11am tomorrow morning, you will be sent to Jail" He said handing a file to the court clerk.

Kate scoffed in expected surprises and said "Judge? Don't you think I could have a little more time? I have-"

The Judge is not amused and asks "How about this afternoon then?"

Kate laughed nervously again and said "11am tomorrow is fine!" putting false enthusiasm in it.

"Good! This hearing is adjourned to 11am tomorrow" He said banging the gavel down dismissing everyone in the Court Room.

Kate smiled at both parties sitting at their respective desks and issued them both directions on how to get to her office. They both agreed to meet with her in one hour to start mediation. Kate was now free and able to leave the Court House to meet with Lauren for their "big" meeting with a "BIG" client.

Not in any real rush, Kate slowly made her way through the corridors saying a brief hello to anyone she recognized before walking out of the Court House, down the stairs and hailing a cab. The meeting with Lauren wasn't the only thing that was deterring Kate from getting to the office quickly. She realized that Ben would have most certainly arrived there by now and thought of confronting him was causing her some mild anxiety.

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Ben stood in the elevator waiting for it to get to the Reed & Reed floor thinking about what he would say when he saw Kate. The sound of the elevator _ding_ and the opening of the doors brought him back to reality and he walked into the lobby and through the large glass double doors.

Walking through the waiting area, Lauren saw Ben and called out "Ben? Can I see you in my office for a moment?"

Ben nodded and replied "Sure" walking up and into her office and taking a seat. He watched as Lauren came in watched her face for any tell signs that would indicate what this meeting might be about. The last thing he needed right now was Lauren nosing about in his and Kate's business.

"We have… a new client coming in at 11:30am and I would appreciate if you could be there to meet him. Kate has already agreed to be-"

He didn't need to hear anything further and cut her off "-I'll be there!" he said excitedly.

Lauren looked at him with a questioning look but decided not to ask and replied "Good"

Ben took Lauren's suspicious looks as his cue to leave and he quickly fumbled his way out of her office and back into the main area heading towards where his and Kate's office were.

Seeing that she wasn't in her office, he walked into his and sat at his desk and watched and waited for her to walk by.

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Kate was on her way up in the elevator searching her bottomless handbag for her phone starting to believe she'd lost it forever. 'Where did I leave you?' she questioned herself trying to mentally place her activities since she last used the phone yesterday.

Not even noticing she reached her floor, Lauren got on the elevator and pushed the button to go back down to the ground floor. She saw Kate was distracted and decided to speak up "Kate?"

Kate was startled by Lauren's sudden appearance and jumped back saying "What? Where did you come from?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and asked "Something on your mind?"

Kate looked from Lauren to the LCD display panel in the elevator and realized she was on her way back down to the ground. She turned back to Lauren and said "Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong but it felt so right?"

Lauren leant forward and pushed the 'stop' button the control panel causing a loud bell to ring momentarily. "What have you done?" Lauren asked folding her arms across her chest.

Kate smiled and said "Nothing illegal… It's something personal" before reaching across and pushing the stop button to resume the elevators decent.

Lauren wasn't really the kind of person that did "personal" conversations and remained silent on the issue. She did however notice that Kate was in the same clothes as yesterday and wasn't going to ignore that. "Isn't that what you wore yesterday?" Lauren asked looking her up and down several times.

Kate gave a nervous laugh and replied "Isn't it obvious?" trying to think of a good excuse while she waited until Lauren did that shrug shoulder, roll her eyes expression to know to continue. When Lauren did that, Kate quickly said "When you like something SO much, you need to buy two!"

Lauren wasn't too impressed by that response and thankfully the elevator reached the ground floor and she was able to exit this situation without causing further damage to her mental sanity.

Kate pushed the button for her floor again and this time paid attention on her way up so that she knew to get off. The sound of the ding signaled it was time to leave and just as she exited Leo was standing there ready. Kate looked at him closely and asked "Do you have a tracking device on me?"

Leo gave a toothy smile and said "I saw you enter from the street and since you've ignored all my calls I thought I would warn you that Ben is here and he's acting pretty strange"

Kate quickly dragged Leo over into the corner where they couldn't be seen from the rest of the office and asked "What do you mean strange?"

Leo released himself from her grip and raised an eyebrow and said "Similar to the strange way you are acting right now".

Kate ignored his answer and looked over his shoulder and into the office. Fortunately she couldn't see him so that would mean he couldn't see her. "You know what to do Leo" she said moving around him and through the doors.

Leo stood still for a moment and sighed before saying "Oh I always know what to do".

He entered the office again and walked over to Ben's office where he found him still sitting there like a statue. He knocked on the door and Ben snapped his attention to Leo.

Ben smiled and sat upright and said "Leonardo my man! How can I help you today?"

"Just wondering if you need anything?" Leo said trying to be as convincing as possible.

Ben's face brightened and he stood up and asked "She's here isn't she?"

Leo flustered a little and stupidly said "She? Whose she? I don't know who you're talking about". He might as well have said 'Yes' with that kind of answer.

Ben ignored Leo and adjusted his suit jacket before pushing past him and straight across the hallway and into Kate's office where he found her rummaging around desk most likely looking for the phone he had in his pocket. He watched her for a moment before quietly shutting the door and walking up closer to her.

"Hi Katie, looking for this?" he whispered pulling the phone out of his pocket and placing it on the desk.

The sound of his voice caused her to jump and she looked at the phone on the desk. "Th…thanks" she stuttered grabbing the phone and checking her messages. Once finished with her messages, she looked around for something else to use as an excuse for why she didn't have to be in the same room as Ben. She mumbled something incoherent and looked at the floor and tried to walk pass him with no success.

Ben quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her against him and kissed her very passionately. At first she tried to resist but the urge to kiss him back was too great and she relaxed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

As the kiss began to lighten up, Kate took the opportunity to break free and pull away from Ben. "We can't do this! Not here!" She said slightly flustered taking several deep breaths.

Ben stepped closer to Kate again and put his hands on her hips. "I know you want this" he said pressing his hips to hers. She shuddered, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you know what I think?" he asked her rocking her back and forth soothingly

Kate didn't reply but pulled away slightly and thought 'stuff it' before grabbing the back of his head and pulling his lips to hers. Their mouths wrestled for dominance for a few moments before finally finding the right rhythm.

Both were trapped together like magnets and felt like nothing could pull them apart and it wasn't until someone knocked and opened the door at the same time that both pulled away. Kate wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt, looked at who had walked in and almost fell over in shock.

"Lauren?" Kate said as more of a question really without making direct eye contact with her. She mentally scolded herself thinking how stupid she had been to kiss Ben in the office. She knew that it was a bad idea but couldn't stop herself from doing it.

Lauren gave both Kate and Ben angry looks and said "Our meeting is starting in 5 minutes and we will be talking about this later". The couple turned their gaze to the floor as if they'd just been reprimanded by their mother. Both nodded silently and Lauren left the office.

Kate looked at Ben, shook her head and sat behind her desk. "Go Ben. I'll catch up shortly" she said resting her face in the palms of her hands.

Ben nodded and whispered in her direction "Check you phone" before leaving her office.

Kate lifted her face from her hands and picked up her phone and noticed a new calendar entry _'Dinner with Ben at La Ricetta at 8:30pm'_. Kate put the phone down and smiled softly before getting up to go into the meeting.

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**TBC…**

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**Note: There you have it, another chapter. Sorry it took so long to write… Let me know what you think… Onto CHAPTER FOUR! **


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